Evelyn
The ride back to Blackthorne lands feels like a fever dream.
We cross the borders at full speed, the thundering of paws and pounding of boots merging into one relentless roar in my ears. Rafe hangs limp in his human form, draped across two warriors’ shoulders, bleeding and deathly pale beneath the streaks of dirt and crimson. His chest rises in shallow, uneven breaths.
Wolves race ahead, howls splitting the air, warning the keep that their Alpha is near death. The moment the gates come into view, the courtyard explodes into chaos.
“Get the healers!”
“Clear the path!”
“Make room!”
Bodies surge toward us—pack doctors, warriors, elders—faces drained of color. Blood splatters the ground where they lay Rafe on a stretcher, his body shredded from the fight. The metallic tang hits the back of my throat, making it hard to breathe.
I stumble after him, my clothes stiff with dried blood—his and Kael’s. My
EvelynThe ride back to Blackthorne lands feels like a fever dream.We cross the borders at full speed, the thundering of paws and pounding of boots merging into one relentless roar in my ears. Rafe hangs limp in his human form, draped across two warriors’ shoulders, bleeding and deathly pale beneath the streaks of dirt and crimson. His chest rises in shallow, uneven breaths.Wolves race ahead, howls splitting the air, warning the keep that their Alpha is near death. The moment the gates come into view, the courtyard explodes into chaos.“Get the healers!”“Clear the path!”“Make room!”Bodies surge toward us—pack doctors, warriors, elders—faces drained of color. Blood splatters the ground where they lay Rafe on a stretcher, his body shredded from the fight. The metallic tang hits the back of my throat, making it hard to breathe.I stumble after him, my clothes stiff with dried blood—his and Kael’s. My
EvelynThe world narrows to the ring.I can’t feel my feet moving, but somehow I’m at the edge, fingers gripping the wooden railing so tightly my knuckles ache. Rafe is down — bleeding, battered, his chest rising in shallow, uneven breaths. Kael’s massive wolf form prowls around him, muzzle dripping with crimson.My heart is a drumbeat in my ears. I can’t breathe.“Not yet,” Cassian murmurs beside me, his grip firm around my forearm. Voice low and urgent, but my body strains forward like he’s the only thing holding me back.Time slows. Every wolf, every breath in the crowd feels suspended in glass.Kael circles again, a predator savoring the end. He nudges Rafe with a paw, a cruel little shove. Nothing. Rafe doesn’t move. With a sickening crack and ripple of bone, he shifted—flesh reforming, fur retracting, naked and unashamed, the red haze of violence still gleaming in his eyes.He stepped over Rafe’s fallen wolf body, sneering as the gathered warriors stared, frozen.Rafe began to s
RafeThe circle had already formed around the Ashmoor grounds, a ring of bodies and silence and dread. I could feel the stares, the weight of expectation bearing down on my shoulders like stone.But all I saw was her.Evelyn.She stood beside me, her gaze steady despite the storm in it. She hadn’t flinched. Not once. Even now, with blood about to be spilled and war hanging by a thread, she stood like she belonged at my side.I didn’t say anything. Couldn’t. My throat was tight with everything I wanted to promise her and didn’t know how.So I leaned in and kissed her forehead.A slow press of lips to skin.Then I rested my forehead against hers, eyes closed, just for a breath. One heartbeat. One tether.Mine.Hers.Ours.Then I stepped back, locking it all behind my ribs, and walked into the ring.Kael was already there, standing with his arms loose at his sides like he didn’t have a care in the world. Bare-chested, bare-footed, wearing the combat tunics meant to shred in the shift. Hi
EvelynThe fire had long since burned down to embers, but its warmth lingered in the sheets—and in Rafe’s arms. We lay tangled together, the morning light slowly painting the edges of the room in soft gold. The scent of smoke, sweat, and him clung to my skin. I didn’t want to move. Didn’t want to leave the cocoon we’d built in the hush of the night, the taste of him still warm on my tongue, the ache of need still curling low in my belly.His breath stirred against the curve of my neck, and his fingers moved in lazy, soothing circles along my spine. There was a stillness between us, not awkward but reverent, like we were trying to hold onto the last pieces of something fragile before the world demanded too much of it.This was the first time I’d woken up in his room. Not just beside him—but in his space, wrapped in his scent, surrounded by shadows and details that were his alone. The worn books stacked beside the bed. The blades mounted on the wall. The faded Blackthorne banner folde
EvelynHis mouth claimed mine like he’d been starving for years—like he couldn’t breathe without me. Heat rolled off him in waves, searing through the thin layers between us until they were nothing. Every kiss tasted of desperation and defiance. Every touch said the words neither of us could bear to speak: If this is the end, let it be ours.I dragged him closer, nails biting into the hard lines of his back. His body pinned me, all steel and sinew, but it wasn’t enough. I wanted him everywhere—inside every breath, every heartbeat. My robe slipped off my shoulders, pooling like water around us, and his hands followed, worshipful and hungry all at once.The bond roared between us, primal and unyielding. When his mouth left mine to trail down my throat, I felt the graze of his teeth and a sound escaped me—a sound that stripped me bare.Something inside him fractured then—something dark and desperate. His mouth crushed mine again, and this time there was no restraint. He kissed me like a
EvelynRafe didn’t speak, but his hand was steady in mine. He moved like a blade sheathed in flesh—tense, contained, dangerous. His jaw was tight, eyes fixed ahead, every step purposeful as we walked with our warriors, the Ironridge emissary and Cassian close behind.No one spoke. Outside in our territory, the sun dipped below the treeline, casting everything in gold and bloodlight.I couldn’t stop glancing at him.This wasn’t the aftermath of a simple negotiation. He had just declared for the Blood Trial.The courtyard was awash in fading warmth, and something had changed. Everything hinged on one fight. One moment. One man.I sensed the storm beneath his stillness, his power leashed like a beast held back. He was bracing. Preparing.And I had never felt more terrified.Back in his quarters, the first thing he did was brace both hands against the wall and hang his head.“Why the Blood Trial?” I asked.“Because Kael would’ve dragged every pack into war otherwise,” he said without turn